Yahoo Corporate Forum

Yahoo's embattled CEO Scott Thompson (pictured here) is set to step down from his job at the Silicon Valley Internet giant, in what will be a dramatic end to a controversy over a fake computer science degree that he had on his bio, according to multiple sources close to the situation.

The company will apparently say he is leaving for “personal reasons.”

But the evolving crisis — which is just over a week old — centered on his botched resume, and how he handled the thorny issue is clearly the key reason for the abrupt leaving.

Thompson's likely replacement on an interim basis will be Yahoo's global media head Ross Levinsohn, who most recently also ran its Americas unit, including its advertising sales.

Before resigning as chief executive of Yahoo Inc. over the weekend, Scott Thompson disclosed to the company's board of directors and several colleagues that he has been diagnosed with thyroid cancer, according to people familiar with the matter.

The cancer disclosure by the 54-year-old Mr. Thompson was made late last week, as evidence emerged that appeared to contradict the CEO's assertions that he wasn't responsible for an error in his academic record, one of these people said.

The decision to step down from Yahoo was in part influenced by Mr. Thompson's cancer diagnosis, said this person.

Someone within the hiring department needs to step down as well because they obviously failed at doing their job on the most important of positions. Oh, wait, jobs at that level play by different rules.

I thought the days of businesses requiring diplomas on the wall were behind us. The best man or woman for any given job may not always be the one with the best wallpaper(diplomas), imo.